Although useful advances are being made in organic electronic devices such as organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs) and organic electroluminescent devices (including organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), polymer light emitting diodes (PLEDs), and phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes (PHOLEDs)), further improvements are needed in the processing, manufacture and performance these devices. In particular, improvements in technologies for hole injection and/or hole transport in these devices is especially desirable. State of the art organic electronic devices generally still can use hole injection layers (HILs) and/or hole transport layers (HTLs) within the device to optimize charge flow through the device, separation, or recombination of electrons and holes. Hole injection layers and hole transport layers can present difficult problems because of the solubilities of the component materials (or lack their of) in processing solvents, and because of the dopants and/or acids needed for HIL or HTL performance. Dopants and acids should be chosen judicially to minimize their contributions to device degradation.
A need exists for improved hole injection and charge transport materials that can enhance the performance of organic electronic devices, producing increased efficiencies, brightness and lifetimes. A need also exists for improved hole injection and transport materials that can be adapted for different applications and can function with a variety of different light emitting layers, photoactive layers, and electrodes.